ABSTRACT

Our understanding of how neurons code and communicate information and how they function in networks is bound by the limitations of the physical connections that we make with the neural tissue. The current set of tools and techniques commercially available to interface with neural tissue do not efficiently sense or induce neural activity and suffer from poor accessibility to most of the neural system. Bionanotechnological tools hold the promise to improve these interfaces beyond what is commercially available. This chapter surveys and highlights some of the many achievements in this field along with future challenges that must be faced in order realize the full potential of bionanotechnological approaches in neural recording and stimulation.